Aftermath
by jessa-beth
Summary: ONESHOT: Set almost directly after Deathly Hallows. Back at the Burrow, Ron grieves alone in his room, and Hermione comes to comfort him. This is pure, unadulterated fluff.


**A/N:** Post-DH (meaning this has SPOILERS!) Ron/Hermione fluff. Enjoy!

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"Ron?"

Hermione's sad voice perked up Ron's ears. He wanted so to be with her, but right now… his heart couldn't take anything. He doubted himself with every breath he took, and Hermione's feelings for him still felt unreal to him. He didn't know how nice he could be at the moment. Still, his longing for her got the better of him, and he called, "Come in, Hermione."

The door to his bedroom creaked open. There she was, in all her dirty, bloody glory, looking utterly beautiful in Ron's eyes. Her brown hair was wildly matted with ash and blood, and her face was caked in it. Her wounds were healed, but her clothes remained torn, and all the grime stuck persistently to her. Ron looked no better.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione sighed sympathetically, coming over to sit beside him on the bed. His hands were shaking in his lap as they squirmed anxiously together. Placing a calming hand atop his writhing fists, she smiled at him. She didn't say anything, for which he was grateful. He didn't think he could answer any questions logically at the moment. She was calming him simply by being near him, easing his overwhelming sorrow. He felt better simply to know she was sitting beside him, and not fleeing. It made their kiss more real.

"I can't believe," Ron said in a low, quivering voice, "that he's gone." He didn't know why he said it. He didn't want to talk about it, but Hermione brought it out of him. He sucked in his lips, holding back the oncoming rant that she seemed to provoke. Why was she so perfect? Why was she so wonderful? She was his everything, and always had been. Now that he had tasted those lips, he wanted never to leave her… never to be apart from her. It made him want to share everything with her, even if it hurt.

Hermione's fingers were soft as they stroked the backs of his hands. "I know," she whispered sweetly.

He sniffed. "It's just… now that he's gone, I can remember everything. Everything's just coming back to me so clearly and now… now…" His bottom lip trembled. He felt weak. He didn't like Hermione seeing him like this, but his heart was overflowing. "God, I'll miss him so much. He was alive and well just yesterday… I don't understand how he can just be… so fast. It isn't fair." His voice shook with unshed tears that were stinging his swollen eyes.

Without warning, Hermione's arms were around his neck, hugging him tightly. Her hands were in his hair, and her face snuggled warmly into his dirty shoulder. The sensation of her closeness made him shiver and sigh, and as memories overtook him, he gave a great shuddering heave, and began to cry. He had never wanted Hermione to see him cry. He wasn't _supposed_ to cry. Fred never cried.

He wondered if George had cried, or if he would.

And that was when the sobs began. Ron took Hermione fully into his arms, and he realized how tiny she was as he did so. His tears fell fast onto her filthy t-shirt, and they wouldn't stop. Every snivel and sob seemed to pluck at his heart, egging him further. His noisy sobs shook Hermione's whole body, but she did not protest as she clutched at his back with her gentle fingers. Her tangled curls were a mess, and they tickled his cheek as he nuzzled deeply into her shoulder. The soft feeling made him squeeze her more tightly. She gave a tiny noise of surprise, but did not let him go. He inhaled, and even through the dirt and grime, he could smell that distinctly Hermione-scent he so loved. Emotions were overflowing from him as he clutched her like a life source, needing her so badly.

"I love you, Hermione," he sobbed. "I love you… so much. I need you to know that, before…"

"Oh, Ron," she said again, her voice cracking with tears of her own. "I love you too."

"Don't leave me," he pleaded through his weeping. His voice was a low moan of desperation as he begged. "God… just, never leave me, Hermione… I love you so much."

"I won't leave you, Ron," she told him, her voice high-pitched and squeaky as she held back her own sobs, but her tone was genuine and loving. "I love you… I can't imagine ever leaving you, Ron… I love you!"

And she pulled away, then, to plant her lips on his. It was heaven. He breathed in deeply, his tears controlled immediately by her adoring kiss. Her lips felt like the purest velvet on his, and he tasted her greedily as though it would cure his sorrow. It nearly did. The feeling of her mouth against his own made him wild with desire, and his hands traveled smoothly around her back as he held her. The kiss deepened, their tongues roaming about one another's mouths. Ron pulled back, suddenly. "Hermione," he whispered, "I love you more than I've ever loved anything." Her smile melted his grieving heart, and the tears at his eyes seemed to sting ominously, threatening to spill more. "Stay with me, tonight?" he asked, his face stricken with desperation, despair, and need.

She swallowed, his eyes squinted in understanding. Her bottom lip shook with sorrowful sympathy as she nodded, and he took her into his arms again. He held her close, never wanting to let her go, and knowing that now—after all these years of confusion, raging battles, and terror—he would never have to. It was all over. She was his, at last.

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**A/N: **Awwww. I make my own insides go mushy. What's my problem? lol. Anyway, thanks for reading!!


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